Dan DeVoy new FVWD director

The April 17 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District Board of Directors was busy, productive and long – two hours!

The major piece of business was the selection of Dan DeVoy as the new director. He replaces Mike LaFata, who resigned in February.

DeVoy lives in El Centro and has a home in Fern Valley, which he and his family bought in 1980. His professional background is human relations management for several local agencies, including Imperial County. Most recently he retired from the Imperial Irrigation District after 16 years.

When asked why he is interested in the directorship, he replied, “I retired two years ago, and this is a strong reason to be here more often. I love being here and the community.”

His experience managing employee benefit plans drew the attention of the Board and was positive in his selection.

“I’d like to help and think I can give my experience,” he said and added that he also has experience working with elected boards.

The other candidate was Dawn Finlayson, a Fern Valley resident since 1998. She owns and manages Bliss Hair salon.

Finlayson has extensive service on organizational boards. For two years in the mid-2010s, she was a trustee on the Board of the Spiritual Center of Desert and then for three years served on her Homeowners’ Association in Palm Desert.

She has been interested in water issues for a long time, she told the Board.

“I’d love to represent the people here,” she told the Board. “It’s a hard job, but it shows commitment to the community.”

While DeVoy’s part-time status caught the attention of several Board members, Jon Brown commented, “He’s been part-time for 45 years and half of our people are part-time residents.”

Brown nominated DeVoy as the new director and the vote approving him as the next Board member was unanimous, 4-0. DeVoy replaces LaFata, who replaced Gary Erb in December 2023. The term for this seat ends in December, so DeVoy will have to stand for election to a four-year term in the next Election.

One of the Board’s other actions was to request the Riverside County Register of Voters to conduct a mail election in August. Besides DeVoy’s term ending quickly, Directors Robert Krieger and Brown have terms ending in December, too.

The Board also heard a presentation on the audit of its 2024 financial records from Jonathan Abadesco of C.J. Brown & Company, CPAs.

The audit report stated, “In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position of the District, as of June 30, 2024, and the respective changes in financial position and, where applicable, cash flows thereof for the years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

Abadesco explained to the Board that is standard language for a clean audit. The auditors found no material weaknesses nor significant deficiencies, he added.

While net expenses grew more than its net income, overall total revenue, due to a surge in property tax revenue, exceeded costs again. In 2024, the District’s total net position increased by $279,000, to $10.2 million.

The Board also reviewed the Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget report. As of the end of March, expenses were $486,000 greater than revenue. This is largely attributable to capital costs for the acquisition of new vehicles and some pipeline work last fall. Also, the final property tax revenue payments are not received until April and May.

The office renovation work has begun, General Manager Victor Jimenez told the Board. So, the $150,000 budget for that project will be used this fiscal year. But last year when the budget was approved, the Board had anticipated a deficit this year and planned to use reserves to offset costs.

In his General Manager’s Report, Jimenez noted that stream water continues to supply the bulk of the District’s late winter and early spring water demand. In March, it provided 91% of the water compared to 2% in March 2023. He also explained the work has started on the project to improve the District’s maintenance facility.

The Board did agree to change the date of its next meeting to 9 a.m., on Thursday, May 29. It expects to review a draft of its FY 2025-26 budget at that time.